Bait casting plug



March 24, 1942.

W. A. PHILLIPS BAIT CASTING PLUG Filed July 25, 1941 WWW m1 9 m 17 7 i l Patented Mar. 24, 1942 OFFICE BAIT CASTING PLUG William Alton Phillips, Bessemer, Ala. Application July 25, 1941, Serial No. 404,081

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a bait casting plug and has for an object to provide a plug which can be quickly adjusted without the use of tools, to run at any depth ranging from the surface to about twenty feet, so that the fishermen may find the depth at which the fish are striking simply by manipulating a single level finding spoon.

A further object is to provide a device of that character which will be formed of a few simple strong and durable parts, which will be inexpensive to manufacture, and will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bait casting plug constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the auxiliary spoon and the level finding spoon adjusted to maintain the plug at an intermediate depth of from nine to twelve feet.

Figure 2 is a bottom shown in Figure 7.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the plug taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the plug taken on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the pivot shaft bracket of the level finding spoon.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the level finding spoon.

Figure 7 is a detail side elevation, with parts broken away, of the level finding spoon.

plan view of the plug Figure 8 is a detail side elevation of the plug with the spoon adjusted to maintain the plug at an extreme low depth of about fifteen to twenty feet.

Figure 9 is a detail side elevation of the plug with the spoon adjusted to cause the plug to breach the water then plunge every three or four feet on moderate retrieve.

Figure 10 is a detail side elevation of the plug with the spoons adjusted to. maintain the plug at a shallow depth of about three to eight feet.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, l0 designates the plug body the same being shaped to simulate a minnow and having a gang hook II at about the center of the bottom surface and a gang hook l2 at the rear end. The front lower surface of the the body is equipped with a fishing line securing eye l3.

For controlling the depth at which the plug will run when being retrieved after a cast a level finding spoon I 4 is pivoted to the lower portion of the plug body near the front end of the body, and an auxiliary spoon I5 is located in advance of the level finding spoon and is pivoted to the body at a point above the pivot of the level finding spoon. Each spoon is U shape in cross section, see Figure 3.

The pivot shaft l6 of the auxiliary spoon I5 passes through the body l0 and through the rear ends of the sides of the spoon. The pivot shaft I! of the level finding spoon I4 is corrugated intermediate the ends as shown at I 8 in Figure 6. The pivot shaft bracket I9, see Figure 5, is in the nature of an elongated plate secured to the body by brads 20, or other connections, and terminating at the front end in a cylindrical socket 2| which is provided with internal corrugations 22 to provide sufficient frictional contact with the corrugated portion I 8 of the pivot shaft I! to hold the level finding spoon M in various angular adjusted positions with relation tothe body H), see Figures 2, 8, 9 and 10. The auxiliary spoon l5 moves freely on its pivot shaft I6.

For shallow depth run of the plug, see Figure 10, the auxiliary spoon l5 abuts the pivot shaft ll of the depth finding spoon, and inclines downwardly and forwardly from the body at an angle of about 45 degrees. The depth finding spoon [4 extends rearwardly from the pivot shaft along the body, in contact with the .body I 0 and extends downwardly at an angle of about 30 degrees to the body. In this position the depth finding spoon elevates the rear end of the plug and aids the auxiliary spoon IE to keep the nose of the plug down so that the plug runs at a depth of from three to eight feet and rises gradually during retrieving.

For intermediate depth run of the plug, see Figure 1, the auxiliary spoon I5 is in the same position as for shallow depth run, but the depth finding spoon I4 is adjusted to extend forwardly from the pivot shaft l1 along the body, and to extend downwardly at an angle of about degrees to the body. In this position of the spoons the plug runs at a depth of from nine to twelve feet and rises gradually as retrieve nears the end.

For extreme depth run of the plug, see Figure 8, the level finding spoon I4 is adjusted to extend forwardly from the pivot shaft [1 along the body, and to extend downwardly at an angle of about 30 degrees to the body. The auxiliary spoon fits flush inside the depth finding spoon. This position of the spoons increases water resistance to the maximum and causes the plug to dive deep and level out in a wiggling run fifteen to twenty feet deep according to the speed of the retrieve.

To cause the plug to breach the surface and then plunge as shown in Figure 9, the auxiliary spoon I5 is in the same position as for a shallow depth run, as above described. The depth finding spoon I4 is adjusted to extend rearwardly from the pivot shaft l1, and to extend downwardly at an angle of about 60 degrees to the body. In this position the level finding spoon spills the water downwardly and forces the plug to the surface. The auxiliary spoon l5 then counteracts the level finding spoon as the plug breaches the surface and causes the plug to dive. 0n moderate retrieve this breaching and diving occurs every three or four feet.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood without further explanation.

What is claimed is:

1. A plug comprising, a body, a fish hook on the body, a pair of superposed spoons of U shape cross section pivoted to the front end of the body, and means for adjusting the lower spoon to extend in various angular positions relatively to the upper spoon and to the body for controlling the plug to run at a predetermined depth or to breach and dive.

2. The structure as of claim 1 and in which said means comprises an internally corrugated cylinder secured to the body, and an externally corrugated pivot shaft in the cylinder fixed to the lower spoon and having sufficient frictional contact with the cylinder to hold the lower spoon in its various angular positions.

3. A plug comprising, a body, a fish hook on the body, an upper auxiliary spoon pivoted to the front end of the body, a lower depth finding spoon pivoted to the front end of the body, the upper spoon moving freely on its pivot, the pivot of the lower spoon being frictionally controlled to permit the lower spoon being swung forwardly to coincide with the upper spoon or being swung rearwardly to extend along the bodyor to be swung to various angular positions between the extremes just named.

WILLIAM A. PHILLIPS. 

